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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

On the occasion of World Elders Day on 1st October 2010, Silver Inning Foundation once again organizes various event for our Senior Citizens in Mumbai, India . One such event is UMANG - A Stage Talent Show program for 50+ Senior Citizens. As there are not enough opportunity for elderly to show their talent ,the main purpose of this program is to provide a platform for Elderly to display their talents. This is not a competition between Elderly but a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent. Come and support our Elderly.

2nd Oct : UMANG A Talent show for Senior Citizens Shivaji Natya Mandir , 3rd Floor, opp.Plaza Cinema ,Dadar west ,Mumbai at 2pm to 5.30pm .This is supported by Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point & Rotaract Club of Rizvi law College . This programme is part of Joy of Giving Week 2010 and Walden University Global Day of Service 2010.

Friday, September 24, 2010

In the World Alzheimer Report 2010, we build upon the findings detailed in the World Alzheimer Report 2009, to explore the cost of dementia to our societies. The Report contains an explanation of the methods used, detailed results for different economic and geographic regions, and we offer conclusions and recommendations in the final section.

As you will see, the figures are cause for great concern and we hope that this Report will act as a call to action for governments and policy makers across the world. It is vital that they recognize that the cost of dementia will continue to increase at an alarming rate and we must work to improve care and support services, treatment and research into dementia in all regions of the world. Lower income countries face a severe lack of recognition of dementia, placing a heavy burden on families and carers who often have no understanding of what is happening to their loved one. High income countries are struggling to cope with the demand for services, leaving many people with dementia and caregivers with little or no support. Consequently, we urge key decision makers to take notice of this very important document and to work with Alzheimer associations and with ADI to make dementia a national and global health priority.

The total estimated worldwide costs of dementia are US$604 billion in 2010.

About 70% of the costs occur in Western Europe and North America.

Costs were attributed to informal care (unpaid care provided by family and others), direct costs of social care (provided by community care professionals, and in residential home settings) and the direct costs of medical care (the costs of treating dementia and other conditions in primary and secondary care).Costs of informal care and the direct costs of social care generally contribute similar proportions of total costs, while the direct medical costs are much lower. However, in low and middle income countries informal care accounts for the majority of total costs and direct social care costs are negligible.

Background• Dementia is a syndrome that can be caused by a number of progressive disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Other types include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

• Dementia mainly affects older people, although there is a growing awareness of cases that start before the age of 65. After age 65, the likelihood of developing dementia roughly doubles every five years.

• In last year’s World Alzheimer Report, Alzheimer’s Disease International estimated that there are 35.6 million people living with dementia worldwide in 2010, increasing to 65.7 million by 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050. Nearly two-thirds live in low and middle income countries, where the sharpest increases in numbers are set to occur.

• People with dementia, their families and friends are affected on personal, emotional, financial and social levels. Lack of awareness is a global problem. A proper understanding of the societal costs of dementia, and how these impact upon families, health and social care services and governments may help to address this problem.

• The societal cost of dementia is already enormous. Dementia is already significantly affecting every health and social care system in the world. The economic impact on families is insufficiently appreciated.

• In this World Alzheimer Report 2010, we merge the best available data and the most recent insights regarding the worldwide economic cost of dementia. We highlight these economic impacts by providing more detailed estimates than before, making use of recently available data that considerably strengthens the evidence base.

– The World Alzheimer Report 2009 provides the most comprehensive, detailed and up-todate data on the prevalence of dementia and the numbers of people affected in different world regions.

– The 10/66 Dementia Research Group’s studies in Latin America, India and China have provided detailed information on informal care arrangements for people with dementia in those regions.

– For this Report, Alzheimer’s disease International has conducted a global survey of key informants regarding the extent of use of care homes in different world regions.

Recommendations1 Alzheimer’s Disease International calls on governments to make dementia a health priority and develop national plans to deal with the disease.

2 Alzheimer’s Disease International reminds governments of their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Madrid International Plan for Action on Ageing to ensure access to healthcare. It calls on governments to fund and expand the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Plan, including the packages of care for dementia, as one of the seven core disorders identified in the plan.

3 Alzheimer’s Disease International requests that new investment in chronic disease care should always include attention to dementia. For example, the WHO Global Report on ‘Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions’ alerts policymakers, particularly those in low and middle income countries, to the implications of the decreases in communicable diseases and the rapid ageing of populations. Healthcare is currently organized around an acute, episodic model of care that no longer meets the needs of patients with chronic conditions. The WHO Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions framework provides a basis on which to redesign health systems that are fit for their purpose.

4 Alzheimer’s Disease International calls on governments and other major research funders to act now to increase dementia research funding, including research into prevention, to a level more proportionate to the economic burden of the condition. Recently published data from the UK suggests that a 15-fold increase is required to reach parity with research into heart disease, and a 30-fold increase to achieve parity with cancer research. International coordination of research is needed to make the best use of resources.

5 Alzheimer’s Disease International calls on governments worldwide to develop policies and plans for long-term care that anticipate and address social and demographic trends and have an explicit focus on supporting family caregivers and ensuring social protection of vulnerable people with dementia.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Way back in 2007, scientists from Johns Hopkins University concluded at the Alzheimer's Association conference in Washington that over 26 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease - a number set to quadruple by 2050. The prediction shocked the world as it woke up to the menace of this braindestroying condition.

Two years later, the definitive World Alzheimer's report, compiled by the world's top dementia scientists, admitted that the problem was much worse. Their conclusion was that 35 million people worldwide would be suffering from dementia (90 per cent of which were Alzheimer's cases) in 2010 and that the number is set to almost double every 20 years to 65. 7 million in 2030 and 115. 4 million in 2050. Several countries woke up and started to put in place services for the old, like homes to support dementia patients, screening programmes and treatment protocols. India, however, didn't bother to take any such action.

Today, an estimated 37 lakh people in India are affected by dementia, which is expected to double by 2030. Despite the magnitude, there is gross ignorance and neglect, and services are scarce for people with Alzheimer's and their families. According to a landmark "India Dementia Report 2010", which will be released on September 21 by Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) - and is now exclusively available with TOI-Crest - it is estimated that the cost of taking care of a patient with Alzheimer's is about Rs 43, 000 annually, much of which is met by the families.According to Dr Daisy Acosta, chairman of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the costs of caring for Alzheimer's sufferers is likely to rise even faster than the disease's prevalence - especially in the developing world. "This is a wake-up call that Alzheimer's is the single most significant health and social crisis of the 21st century, " said Dr Acosta. "World governments are woefully unprepared for the social and economic disruptions this disease will cause, " she added.

Alzheimer's is a chronic syndrome characterised by a progressive deterioration in intellect including memory, learning, orientation, language, comprehension and judgement. It mainly affects older people;only about 2 per cent of cases start before the age of 65 years. After this, the prevalence doubles every five years, becoming one of the major causes of disability in late-life.

Experts say India was home to more than 75 million people older than 60 years in 2001. This age group, which was 7. 5 per cent of the population, is growing. Significant demographic ageing with the elderly population now above 8 per cent has been seen in Himachal Pradesh (9), Punjab (9), Maharashtra (8. 7), Tamil Nadu (8. 8), Orissa (8. 3), Goa (8. 3), and Pondicherry (8. 3). "The demand for geriatric services, related to dementia, will soon be overwhelming, " Dr Roy says.

Dr J D Mukherji, head of neurology at Max Hospital, Delhi, said the biggest problem in India is that public awareness about Alzheimer's is low and this has serious consequences. "Soon, we will have plaque-blasting medicines that can delay Alzheimer's by causing plaque deposits to integrate. So early diagnosis is vital. At present, diagnosis is largely missed, mainly in non-metropolitan centres. The government needs to initiate awareness about dementia and introduce its study at the undergraduate level for medical students, " Dr Mukherji said.

According to the India Dementia report, no structured training exists on the recognition and management of dementia at any level of health service. PwD are stigmatised because the underlying cause is not understood. According to the World Alzheimer's report 2009, "The healthcare needs of older people have for too long been under-prioritised. This is now changing due in part to the fact that demographic ageing of population is proceeding more rapidly than first anticipated, specially in India. "

Alzheimer's is a chronic syndrome characterised by a progressive deterioration in intellect including memory, learning, orientation, language, comprehension and judgement. It mainly affects older people;only about 2 per cent of cases start before the age of 65 years. After this, the prevalence doubles every five years, becoming one of the major causes of disability in late-life.

According to India Dementia report to be released on 21st Sep 2010 at New Delhi at National Dementia Summit:

In India, 90% of the cases of dementia are actually Alzheimer's disease

In 2010, India is home to 37 lakh PwD (People with Dementia)

1 out of 50 normal households will have a PwD and 1 out of 16 households with at least one older member will have a PwD

Every third household has a person older than 60 years living at home

The societal cost of dementia for India is estimated to be $3. 4 bn

The total treatment cost per person with dementia is Rs 43, 285 annually

After age 65, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's roughly doubles every five years

At the age of 85, the odds of a person developing it are close to 50 per cent

The annual estimated worldwide cost of dementia care is $604 bn

If dementia care were a country, it would be the world's 18th largest economy

Low-income countries accounted for just under 1 per cent of total worldwide costs (14 per cent of prevalence); middle income countries accounted for 10 per cent of the costs (40 per cent of prevalence) and high income countries for 89 per cent of the costs (46 per cent of prevalence)

Prevalence of Alzheimer's reported from Indian studies amongst the elderly range from 0. 6% to 3. 5% in rural areas and 0. 9% to 4. 8% in urban areas

By 2026, more than 5 lakh PwD are expected to be living in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra

Bangalore-based 26-year-old scribe Divya Jacob and her twin sister will never forget that moment. Their grandmother, Ammachi, had caked her face with powder and, when they asked her where she was going, she scolded the girls and said, "The boy's family is coming to see me for marriage prospects. " She was then 70. Ammachi died last week, at 84, after a gradual deterioration in her memory, orientation and behaviour. By the end of her life, she did not recognise the twins she had lovingly brought up. "She did not know who she was, where she was and what was happening around her, " recalls Divya. "The initial signs started setting in around 16 years ago when she sometimes served breakfast to my grandfather twice. When he questioned her, she would quietly take it back to the kitchen. "

Ammachi's condition, Alzheimer's Disease, has become one of the Indian family's most frightening realities. Numerous other grandchildren, children, siblings, and even parents sometimes, have had to confront - and patiently deal with - equally unnerving situations, sometimes for years on end. The examples abound. In one case, a retired engine driver refused to enter the bathroom or eat his food until his family cajoled him with "the train is waiting on the platform for you". An elderly woman, who had grown up in a village with two-storey houses, repeatedly wanted to go upstairs even though she had spent the last twenty years in a Mumbai flat.

"They forget to brush their teeth. They leave their keys in the refrigerator or sugar bowl. These are all the early signs. Over a period of time, hygiene becomes an issue, " says neuropathologist Dr Shirin Barodawala, who is associated with the Alzheimer's & Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI). "Symptoms range from being extremely passive to extremely aggressive. It is important to understand that the patient is not doing anything deliberately;his disturbed behaviour is because of changes in his brain. "

The good news is that what ten years ago was viewed as inexplicably bizarre behaviour by family members is now being understood as an illness, albeit one for which there is no treatment other than love and care. As Dr Roop Gursahani, a neurologist with Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai says, "These days, people come in and say, 'I think my father has Alzheimer's'. Ten years ago, they may have come in and said, 'My father is behaving in a very odd way. '" Chairman and founder of the ARDSI, Dr Jacob Roy Kuriakose, explains that with life expectancy in India going up, age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia are more likely to set in, but people today have managed to come to terms with such diseases and are actually taking their kin to doctors to be treated.

The Kolkata arm of the association points out that there are some 46, 000 Alzheimer's patients above 65 years in Kolkata alone. "The disease affects patients in varying degrees with many suffering just a partial memory loss but retaining their power of judgement, " says Nilanjana Maulik of the ARDSL. The association trains professional care-givers to assist patients. It also organises awareness camps for patients, counsels them and chalks out 'care plans' for their families. Interestingly, it has started addressing schools, because there is a sense that grandchildren are an important point of contact for Alzheimer's patients and can also go a long way in giving them sympathetic care.

But regardless of the increase in awareness, even today, most families still learn about the condition when the patient is quite far gone. In India, especially, where people are habitually in denial about intimate issues that are taking place in their home, diagnosis becomes difficult, say doctors. Moreover, the change in behaviour sets in gradually and there is also an overlap with normal aging and memory loss. Families tend to find out only when there is some major event - like if the patient has taken ill, has to be hospitalised, and suddenly seems very confused about where he is, say doctors.

Even after you find out, there is not much you can do. This absence of a cure is the greatest tragedy of the disease. Treatment essentially centres around creating a calm and nurturing environment for the patient. And the brunt of it falls on the care-givers, which in India is mostly family, sometimes domestic help. Dr Gursahani says that a number of his patients are the elderly parents of non-resident Indians. "I have three to four such cases. It's a terribly stressful period for the families. The patients are left in the hands of servants. You almost want their suffering to end. "

At such times, the absence of assisted living facilities or special nursing homes become especially glaring. Ironically, although there are no institutional support systems, in some ways India scores in the area of care-giving, because there is a strong family network and a high degree of compassion for the elderly. That has been the saving grace in low-income groups where care-giving for dementia-related illness is one of the greatest challenges.

"Coping with an Alzheimer's patient is particularly difficult for the poor because they are so busy running around making a living, " says Swati Ingole, medical and psychiatric social worker, who works in Mumbai's slums. But there is another factor which comes into play - which is community support. There is a lot of respect for elders in the lower economic strata, so they actually take it on as their collective responsibility to care for the patients. That is how they manage. "

She describes the example of a retired teacher in the Matunga Labour Camp, whom every one called 'guruji' long after he had turned into an almost child-like dependent. The whole community would be alert if he stepped out. Once he got lost, and the entire slum got together and searched for him and found him on a railway platform. "You will never find this in a middle or upper middle class nuclear family, " says Ingole.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

"Ageing is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength"

Silver Inning Foundation, an dedicated organisation for Elders, celebrates its 3rd World Elders Day ' 2010 by presenting UMANG, A Senior Citizens Stage Talent Show on 3rd Oct 2010 .

On the occasion of World Elders Day on 1st October 2010, Silver Inning Foundation once again organizes UMANG - A Stage Talent Show program for Senior Citizens. As there are not enough opportunity for elderly to show their talent ,the main purpose of this program is to provide a platform for Elderly to display their talents. This is not a competition between Elderly but a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent. After success of UMANG in 2008 & 2009 we are happy to once again organise and promote stage talent of our Elderly.

Over the time our changing tradition has dampened the spirits of senior citizens by suggesting that they can no longer contribute to society and benefit from being active. But we don’t have to accept this reasoning for our elderly parents, friends, or neighbours. We can help them maximize their health and vitality by keeping them active and involved in the world around them.

So we request all those Talented Seniors who are above 50 yrs to enroll for the Talent Show. This is not an competition but a Show to reveal your talent. All the Participation will get Certificate of Appreciation. There are No Prizes.

All selected Artist/performer will be reimbursed with actual To and Fro Travel expense of city bus or train within city of Mumbai MMRDA region.

Give your Full Name, Area where you reside, info about your Act and contact number.

So Hurry and enroll to show your talent.

Note:Pls note in case of more then 20 entries, the selection committee of Silver Inning Foundation will have all the rights to select Best 20 for performance. The selection committee will have final say on selection.

On the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day on 21st Sep 2010 ARDSI (Alzheimer's & Related Disorders Society of India) Greater Mumbai and Mumbai Chapter in association with ‘Silver Inning Foundation’ is proud to Announce One Week Programme to create awareness about Dementia and Alzheimer’s in city of Mumbai. All over India ARDSI and its networking organisation will hold awareness campaign.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point & Rotaract Club of Rizvi law College Presents "UMANG"

A Talent show of Senior Citizens by Silver Inning Foundation : World Elder’s Day 2010

"Ageing is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength"

Silver Inning Foundation, an dedicated organisation for Elders, celebrates its 3rd World Elders Day ' 2010 by presenting UMANG, A Senior Citizens Stage Talent Show on 2nd Oct 2010.

On the occasion of World Elders Day on 1st October 2010, Silver Inning Foundation once again organizes UMANG - A Stage Talent Show program for Senior Citizens. As there are not enough opportunity for elderly to show their talent, the main purpose of this program is to provide a platform for Elderly to display their talents. This is not a competition between Elderly but a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent. After success of UMANG in 2008 & 2009 we are happy to once again organise and promote stage talent of our Elderly. Over the time our changing tradition has dampened the spirits of senior citizens by suggesting that they can no longer contribute to society and benefit from being active. But we don’t have to accept this reasoning for our elderly parents, friends, or neighbours. We can help them maximize their health and vitality by keeping them active and involved in the world around them.

So we request all those Talented Seniors who are above 50 yrs to enroll for the Talent Show. This is not an competition but a Show to reveal your talent. All the Participation will get Certificate of Appreciation. There are No Prizes.

This programme is part of Joy of Giving Week 2010 event & Walden University Global Day of Service 2010 and sponsored & supported by Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point & Rotaract Club of Rizvi law College.

Programme:Talent Show by Elderly

Age limit for participant: 50 yrs +

Types of Performance eligible for Entries:• One act Play• Singing• Music performance – Solo or in group of Maximum 4 people• Dance – Solo• Group Dance - in group of Maximum 4 people• Street Play – Maximum 4 people• Mimicry• Drama - maximum with 4 people• Street Play - maximum with 4 people• Original Poetry reciting• Any special talent

Max entry allowed: A person or a group can have only one act.Total 20 entries will be accepted. That means there will be total of 20 acts only.

Duration for each act: Maximum 8 Minutes

Last Date for Entries/Registration on First come first basis: 27th Sep 2010

Give your Full Name, Area where you reside, info about your Act and contact number.So Hurry and enroll to show your talent.

Note:Pls note in case of more then 20 entries, the selection committee of Silver Inning Foundation will have all the rights to select Best 20 for performance. The selection committee will have final say on selection.

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